Karen's Wish 2: Revenge of the Potion Master
by Writer EX
Summary: RPM is the sequel to the first Karen's Wish. Based on Romance and the works of supernatural elements, a unique combination for HM64. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter I: Stranger on Memory Lane

Karen's Wish 2: Revenge of the Potion Master (RPM)

Life was easy. Sure, it has its ups and downs, but after all that, it was easy. Kai and Karen were one of the happiest couples in Flower Bud. Karen abandoned her wish to move to a more metropolitan area and decided to stay in the family business with Kai. Her parents felt it was time to take a long break from work. The vineyard was producing so magnificently that before long, they had enough saved to go on a world tour. They would be gone until next summer.

He was raised by Karen's parents since he was 14 years old; they loved him, cared for him and took him in like he was their son. He was grateful. Now, 12 years later, he was married to their beautiful daughter, Karen, whom had child soon after their wedding. He was thankful for everything she had given him. Every single thing, he cherished.

That morning, like always, the rooster went off like a programmed alarm clock. Five am. Every day.

Kai sat up and stretched his arms while yawning. He was used to waking up this time. He looked around. Something felt different. It wasn't anything in particular in the room, just a feeling. As he stood up he heard a bird sing. He couldn't distinguish what type, but he had never heard it before. He walked over to the lamp and lit it.

"Morning, sweetheart." Said a sweet but sleepy voice from behind him. Kai turned around to look at his beautiful wife. Her green eyes would hypnotize him.

"Morning. Sleep well?" Asked the caring husband as lost himself into her eyes.

"No complaints, all complements, thanks to you." She said making her husband blush like they were still an unmarried couple

"What would you like for breakfast?" She asked but noticed Kai wasn't listening anymore. He was starring out the window with a look of concern.

"There's a lady outside, Karen. She's just standing there looking at the yard." He said while turning to her. "I don't know why, but it makes me uneasy."

Karen slid out the covers. She was still in her night gown and felt a chill as she walked over to him. Indeed there was a lady, unidentifiable in the dark except for her slim figure and long hair, looking over the yard.

She carried with her a small bag in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"I wonder if she's a newcomer or perhaps a potential business representative for a wine company." Said Karen, already making the best of it.

Kai turned to Karen and couldn't help but chuckle at her young ambition. She sure had what it took to run a business. Nonetheless, this was too early for any business representative to be out.

"I'll go see. Get dress meanwhile." Kai said. Karen nodded and left his side but not before first giving him a kiss on his cheek.

"I Love you."

Kai stared at her as she walked into the bathroom and knew he was luckiest man alive. Kai quickly dressed. His attire consisted of work jeans, a buttoned shirt and his traditional bandana that hid his long, black hair. He laced up his boots and walked down the stairs. Just as he touched the door knob, again he heard a bird sing. He froze.

After what seemed forever, he finally opened the door. The sun's early rays shone upon his face. He placed his hand in a military salute to shield his eyes. Yet, the person was gone.

Kai began to feel uneasy again.

He looked around where the person had been, but there were no signs that she had even been standing there. No footprints, and as soft as the dirt is around the vine's, you had to leave footprints. He walked to entrance, checked the mailbox, nothing.

He felt a cold sweat run down his back. Kai was not fearful, but worried. Who was this person and how did she suddenly disappear?

Kai walked back into the home and Karen, who was dressing the baby, immediately recognized the frown upon his face.

"Is everything ok, Kai?" She asked, expecting bad news.

Kai shook his head and turned to her.

"There was nobody there, Karen. She disappeared."

It took Karen a second to take in what he said. "Kai," she began as she finished dressing Laos, their son, "it's not like she could have disappeared into thin air."

Kai nodded. She was right. Maybe it was too early and dark to really make out what they saw. It could have easily been the shadow of the scarecrow or some wild animal. He tried to create a hundred possibilities, but in the end, he couldn't convince himself.

Jack fell to his knees as he dropped their entire luggage. They were finally home. He was so happy he wanted to kiss the grass. Ann walked behind him with Jeanette, their daughter, in arms.

The farm looked great. He had asked his best friend, Cliff, to maintain it while they went on their honeymoon. Gray volunteered to check on him every so often to make sure everything was fine.

"I love you, Ann, but you carry too many things." A tired Jack complained. Mother and daughter both laughed at him as he lay back onto the grass pretending he had passed out.

"Jack! Ann! You guys are back!" Jack stood up and dusted himself as Mr. Green approached.

"And here is my greatest treasure!" He exclaimed as he took Jeanette from her mother's arms.

Jack and Ann smiled in unison. "Glad to be back, Mr. Green." Said Jack as Ann joined his side.

The four walked into the house with Dynamo, their dog, following behind.

Inside, cliff was making breakfast making the whole house smell of sausage, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. "You guys are already here?! I expected you a little later. Breakfast is still not ready." He frowned. Jack hugged his friend while they all laugh.

"Aw, cliff. You didn't have to do this for us. Thank you." Said Ann as she hugged him, too. Cliff felt he was in paradise.

He liked Ann, perhaps more, but he respected their relationship. Jack had been a great friend to him and helped him in more ways than anyone ever did. Betraying him was not in his mind.

Ann was very pretty, her orange-red hair no longer in the long braid. Now, it was loose, wavy, and long framing her face even more. Cliff had to try hard not to think of that too much.

"It's the least I can do," Replied Cliff as he turned back to stove hiding his blush.

"You guys are my friends, my best friends. Taking care of your farm and making you breakfast doesn't come close to paying everything you've done for me." Cliff felt his eyes water but Jack patted him the back and smiled assuring him it was all good.

The five enjoyed the big breakfast while sharing stories of their honeymoon. Afterwards, Cliff insisted in leaving as he had things to take care of.

"Are you sure? Cliff, you are my best friend, you can stay here as long as you like."

Cliff smiled, hiding his emotions. "Thanks bud." They shook hands and Cliff parted into the mountain trail. Before disappearing into the woods, Cliff looked back one more time.

"Ann…" He sighed, and continued his trail

After making sure all the livestock were fine and playing with Dynamo, Jack called it a day and went inside his house. Mr. Green had fallen asleep on the sofa along with Jeanette. Ann was resting in the bedroom. Nobody noticed a small book, a diary, on the TV stand. He smiled at the scene and tiptoed into the bedroom knowing tomorrow would be a great day.

The uneasiness went away after a good breakfast. Kai tried not to think much about what they had seen. Today, the carpenters were scheduled to come in and start an expansion on the home. He decided to check on the vines even though they had just been harvested, something kept pulling him to look for more information.

As he wandered around the yard, he began to pick up a faint scent of old wine. He knew it wasn't theirs, so he headed over to vines and checked around. He finally reached the last row, the one close to the old tree. There, freshly buried, he noticed a small bottle. He picked it up with indifference and studied it. It was a wine bottle, but not one of the ones they used. It had a faded label on it.

Then he remembered. "This is the bottle that lady had this morning. She was here. Someone was here." He had proof that a stranger had been there. Kai ran to the house. He pushed the door open and called for Karen who showed up seconds later, worried.

"What?! What's wrong?" She asked. Kai handed over the empty bottle.

"I found this in the yard."

Karen's eyes opened wide. In contraire to Kai, she recognized the bottle.

"I haven't seen one of these in years, maybe since I was a young child." Her voice trembled." Where did you find it?" She asked excitedly.

After a brief explanation of everything, Karen finally stopped staring at the bottle.

"Kai." She began, "this bottle was part of my dad's first shipments. Back then, my father would buy these bottles from the Potion Master in town and use them to sell his wine. However, one day my father hired Duke's Imports and Exports to expand the business."

Her husband listened with great detail. Laos seemed to be listening at moments, too, but would return to his toys and ignore the conversation.

Karen continued. "I heard my dad and the Potion Master one day talking. It seemed the Potion Master was mad at my father. I was a child and some things sounded strange or unknown to me. But, I remember my dad yelling at the old man who just shook his head and left with a frown upon his face."

A worried Kai, who now held the bottle in his hand, started to analyze everything. What were the intentions of this person? Maybe he just wanted patch things up. Could he still have a grudge against Karen's family?

For a moment, there was silence between them. Only Laos made noise as he played with his toys.

"Kai?"

Her husband turned to his loving wife who stared aimlessly at the wood floor that covered the entire hm. "I remember that day because that's the day our disaster began. The day my parents started to fight. The day the vines started to dry and the grapes to rot. For years, we were miserable, Kai."

Karen was on the verge of tears now. "This empty bottle scares me. It brings me memories I thought were buried for good. I feel something is about to happen."

By the time she finished, her face was covered with tears.

Her husband grabbed her and pulled her close. "I'm here, Karen. I'm here."


	2. Chapter II: Truth Serum

KW2: RPM

Chapter II: Truth Serum

Rick, the town mechanic, inventor, handyman, and everything in between, was cleaning his tools. His shop had a wide array of farming, mining, and crafting tools. Ever since he could remember, this had been his calling. He loved to tingle with all sorts of things. Build, disassemble, rebuild. His only wish that he had yet to fulfill? Finding his true love.

He knew it wasn't anything bad or something to pout about. Every day he had a smile on his face and an open hand willing to help anyone in need.

That day, Duke called. One of his beer dispensers was leaking.

"Sorry. I'm sure you're busy, but I really need this fixed before opening time tonight." Apologized the aged bar owner.

"Don't worry about it, Duke. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"By the way," Duke added. "Have you seen Basil? I heard he was back in town and need to talk to him."

Rick remembered Basil coming in yesterday but hadn't seen him since. Maybe he was resting from his long trip.

"Sorry, I haven't seen him since yesterday. I'll go check at his house and let him know you are looking for him." Offered Rick.

"That'd be great. As always, you're always helping all of us. Thank you. Rick. I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Rick hanged up and thought about the flower shop. About Popuri. He shook his head and picked up his keys. He dressed in his usual denim overall, grabbed a quick snack and walked towards the door with her image still stuck in his mind.

As always, Popuri was taking care of the plants around the shop. A small bell went off as the door opened. She quickly cleaned her hands on her pink apron and made her way over to the counter.

"Rick. Nice to see you." She greeted as the blond mechanic came in. "What can I do for you?"

Rick rubbed the back of his head. He hated himself for not having the confidence in himself to talk to a girl.

"I, um. I was looking…I mean. Duke is looking for your father." He finally blurted out while a soft blush covered his cheeks.

Popuri giggled at him making him red even more. "I think he's out with mom. I haven't seen either of them all morning. All let him know. Thanks."

Rick smiled, his mind racing trying to ask something he didn't know how to.

"Popuri." He started, while looking away. "I wanted…I wanted to ask you…" The more he spoke, the more nervous he became.

"What is it, Rick?" Asked Popuri trying to understand his question.

"Oh, um…never mind. I'll talk to you later." Rick waved and quickly paced out of the shop leaving Popuri dumbfounded.

Outside, he paced back to his shop while shaking his head.

"Stupid. Why is it so hard to talk to her?" He scorned himself. He reached the door and found a note in his mailbox. It was from the mayor. He requested his presence in a town meeting this afternoon.

"I wander what this is about. The mayor usually doesn't like meetings, only festivals." He didn't think much about it. He opened the door, grabbed his bag full of tools, and made his way over to Duke's bar.

Duke was out back looking for a clean barrel to place under the dispenser. The leak wasn't bad. It was a slow drip so it would take a full day for the barrel to fill up. As he made his way back in, he heard the door open.

"I'm sorry, Mayor. We're still closed. But, you're welcome to sit down. Is there anything I can do for you?" Duke offered.

The mayor was silent for a moment. "Duke." His voice had a tremble to it. "Kent and Stu went to my house this morning, their face full of tears."

The mayor took another moment of silence. Duke knew something was terribly wrong because the mayor would rarely have this attitude. He usually was a happy-go-lucky guy, with wide smile. Not today.

"What happened?" Asked Duke, worried.

"After we gave them some warm milk, they finally told me and my wife what happened. They claim their grandfather was missing and they found a letter on his nightstand." The mayor pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his teary eyes. With his other hand, he pulled out the letter and handed it over to his long time friend.

Duke read the letter out loud. "Dear Stu and Kent. This has nothing to do with the way you kids behave." The letter started. "I have some unfinished business I have to take care before I leave this world. My time is almost here, children, and I can't leave before fulfilling a long time promise. I know this will be hard on you both, but over time you will understand and possibly forgive me. After you read this letter, take it over to the mayor. He will know what to do and must do, he owes me a huge favor and I know he will repay me by taking you boys in. I'm sorry. Grandpa, the Potion Master."

Duke looked up from the letter and noticed the mayor was in a daydreaming trance, his thought traveling in places far away.

"Duke, I'm not a smart guy, hell, I'm not even suitable to be a mayor or any politic or public figure. I cheated my way to this position. He helped me and now he's missing. The worst part is, I fear for what could be his cause of deserting his grandchildren."

Duke shook his head in disagreement. "Mayor, how can you say that? You're a great person, everyone likes you."

The short and stubby mayor, whose hat seemed too small for his head, smiled forcefully. "Thanks, Duke. But this is a weigh I've been carrying over who knows how many years. A long time ago, when Flower Bud Village was just a small four house-one shop community, the few people here decided to vote for a leader. Saibara, the craftsman, came from a far away city. He had served as a public figure there but decided to move here to retire. Everyone thought he be a great leader."

"But I was greedy."

Duke was astonished. He did not interrupt the mayor. However, he wanted to know more.

"I asked the Potion Master for help. He was a nice man who liked to help anyone in need. His price didn't consist of money, but favors. In return, he asked that whatever he needed from me one day would be granted. I agreed and took the potion. My mind raced at the possibilities. Mayor of Flower Bud Village. One day, perhaps Flower Bud City. I, the first mayor. It was such a great enlightenment to me that I failed to realize what I was doing."

Duke released a sigh and reached under the cabinet where he stored a special bottle. "I drink this when I feel down. Here, have a shot." He served the mayor and himself.

After the shot, the mayor took a deep breath and continued.

"That night, the one before voting day, I gave the potion to Saibara. I told him it was a drink from my special wine collection in celebration of his almost promised win. He drank it to the last drop. I was grinning like I had just won the lottery."

Duke walked away towards a small window and took his shot while as he gazed outside.

"So what happened?"

The mayor continued. "The next day, Saibara had changed. He began telling everyone I was the one that should be mayor, that he had never been a city official. He bragged so much about me, I felt like a king. In the end, the people voted and I won."

The mayor stood up from his seat. "I will confess everything tonight, Duke. At a town meeting. Thanks for the drink." He turned and left while Duke kept his stare outside.

After a couple of minutes of analyzing everything. He turned and went for the phone. He still needed to fix his dispenser.

"Rick."

Maria finally opened her eyes. It was almost noon. She jumped out of the bed fast. She was late.

"I've never been late to work. Never." She panicked trying to dress herself while brushing her hair. She fell a couple of times in the process.

"I'm so clumsy. But I deserve this for being late."

Someone knocked at her door. "Is everything ok, dear?"

It was her mother. Maria paced towards the door, opened it, and went back to her routine.

"I'm late mom. I've never been late."

Her mother sat and watched as her daughter went into her closet, to the restroom, to her dresser, and back to the closet.

"Calm down, Maria. You're going to hurt yourself or fall."

Almost like a jinx, the young girl fell. This time, she just laid there.

"For three years, mom. I've never been late." She felt tears forming.

Her mother helped her up. "It's ok." She hugged her daughter doing her best to comfort her.

"What I want to know; is why you were outside this morning?"


	3. Chapter III: Punishment for Sympathy

Chapter 3: Punishment for Sympathy

Kai dedicated the rest of the day inspecting. He checked the shed, the wine cellar, the entrance, every single place he could think of he inspected. He tried not to get in the carpenters way as they worked on the expansion to the house. Karen took Laos over to Ann's house after the bottle discovery. She wanted to clear her thoughts. Maybe seeing her friend again would help her.

The sun was beginning to set. By now, he gave up on finding anything else that was out of the ordinary. He noticed a familiar face coming up the entrance.

"Harris." He greeted with a warm smile.

"Hello, Kai. How's your day?" Asked the mailman while handing them their mail.

"Not good. There appeared to be someone in the vineyard this morning, but it was too dark to see who it was. Nothing was stolen, though."

Harris frowned. "You don't say. This morning, as I started my route, I saw Ms. Maria walking to her house. I found it strange she would be up so early in the morning. However, her gaze seemed lost. She passed me by without even a glance."

"Maria?" Kai thought for a moment. Sure, Maria was an early bird, but she was very respectful and courteous. "I doubt she was here. However, it is indeed strange she was wondering that early."

Harris nodded in agreement. "I haven't delivered the library's mail because it was closed earlier. I'll go by again and check to make sure she's ok."

Kai thought that was a good idea. They both shook hands and Harris parted towards town.

As he was about to turn another familiar face showed up.

"Kai! Sorry no time to talk, there's a meeting tonight. Here are the details." The mayor handed him a letter with details and continued his route.

"Strange times are upon us. First people trespassing; now meetings." Said Kai to himself as he revised the letter.

Ann was tidying up the house while Jack slept. Mr. Green took Jeanette with him to see Gray. The house was not messy, just a little dusty. Of course, she didn't mind Cliff not cleaning, he didn't even stay inside, he insisted to sleep in the barn for some reason. She made her way over to the TV stand and started dusting when she noticed a small book. It didn't have a label, only a small red ribbon.

"I wonder if this is Jack's. I sure don't remember this book."

She began to take it to the bookshelf when the ribbon fell out. Ann picked it up and immediately recognized it. "This is mine!" She exclaimed.

Curiosity was upon her. Why was her ribbon in this book? She decided to find out and opened it to a random page. It read:

"I don't know why this feeling dwells inside me. It is something that I have to try hard to control. My heart pains to see them together, but I can't break such a beautiful relationship. Betrayal is not in me. Yet, I don't know how much longer I can hold back. Perhaps if I…"

Ann began turning the page when someone knocked on the door. The sudden noise surprised her. She shook her thoughts away and quickly placed the book on the shelf before attending to the door.

"Karen!" Both girls hugged.

"So nice to you see, girl. You too, Laos, you little rascal." Ann invited Karen to come in.

They had a lot to talk about. Laos immediately knew he had to find something to entertain himself; they were going to be there a good while.

"It's all done, Duke. Not much to it. I just replaced the hose and seals. You should be all set for tonight. Was there anything else that needed fixing?" Asked Rick before placing all his tools in the tool bag.

"No, Rick. Thank you. Here is your pay." Duke handed him an envelope which Rick refused.

"That's fine, Duke. It wasn't anything extremely difficult. Just pay me for the parts."

Duke shook his head. Rick was very friendly, too friendly in his opinion. "No, Rick. Here, take this. I know you'll find a need for it. I truly appreciate your work and your friendship."

After insisting, Rick took the envelope. "Thanks, Duke."

Gray walked in at that moment after noticing the door open.

"I thought you would close tonight, Duke?" The man with the blue baseball cap asked.

"I am. Rick was just fixing my beer dispenser. He's a great technician." Duke commended Rick again.

Gray smiled. He turned to Rick who was cleaning his glasses. He noticed his dirty appearance and began his favorite game.

"I'm guessing you're going to go change, right?" Gray loved to make jokes about the way Rick dressed. He understood wearing overalls was fine for work, but not for everything else.

"Yea, I need to change into something more casual than my overalls." He said.

Gray kept on annoying his cousin. "Rick. You have no clothes to change to other than a cleaner pair of overalls. I've seen your dresser."

Rick twitched his lip. He didn't mind his cousin's harassment on his clothes, but the fact that it was true.

"Tell you what, cousin. Come with me. I'll let you borrow some of my clothes." Offered Gray after feeling bad enough for his cousin's poor choice of clothing.

Rick accepted. "Ok. Let's go. See you later, Duke."

Duke smiled and waved kindly. "See you later, boys."

As both cousins made their way down the town street, a familiar face walked by.

"Hey, Elli. Heading to the meeting?" Asked Rick.

"Yea, Jeff told me to meet him there. We are bringing some treats for everyone to enjoy at the event."

Elli was sweet, innocent of any bad thoughts. Her heart was pure, a true angel on earth. An angel that had devoured Gray's heart and wouldn't give it back.

"Are you ok, Gray? You seemed pretty gloomy." She asked, worried.

"Oh, I'm ok." Gray forced a smile. He had a lone wolf profile and everyone was aware of that. Even though on the inside, it pained not to be able to express his feelings to Elli. He didn't get nervous, unlike his cousin Rick; he just wished to keep his profile.

"Oh ok. Well, I'll see you guys later." Elli smiled kindheartedly.

"Bye!" Waved Rick as Elli left.

"I noticed that, Gray. Yet, I can't help you because I'm very similar." Both guys sighed in unison. Life was hard enough, talking the woman they liked was even harder.

It was almost night time and a handful of people had arrived for the meeting. Jeff and Elli prepared delicious cupcakes and pies and Duke brought in a soda pop portable dispenser. Anyone could see the warmth of this town. They cherished each other and their surroundings. A harmony existed here that was almost impossible to reach anywhere else.

Mr. Green showed up with a very elegant black cowboy outfit with rattlesnake boots. His belt buckle had the letter GR referring to the name of his ranch. He loved to dress to impress.

Gray and Rick followed after him. Gray wasn't wearing his usual blue baseball cap. Instead, he combed his hair back, giving it a slick look. Rick, he was a stranger. His long hair was tied neatly in a ponytail. He wore loose jeans and a black dress shirt. The only thing he kept from his original attire; his black sneakers. He was nervous.

The two guys went towards the water fountain at the wall and sat at the edge. They began looking around. It was a perfect occasion to propose, but both were a nervous wreck.

Kai showed up with Jack next to him. Both of them pushing their respective strollers with their children. The once eternal rivals of times past, now good friends. Their wives behind them; both dressed very beautifully with long dresses that gleamed in the night lights.

They saw Mr. Green talking to Duke and joined them. Harris showed up; he dressed simply with a brown suit and moccasins. He seemed to be gloomy, Kai quickly noticed.

"Harris!" The mail man turned and headed towards Kai. "Why the long face?"

Harris shrugged and sighed. "Ms. Maria was pretty depressed today. I hate to see her like that."

Kai remembered their talk from earlier. "Maybe she's down with something, a cold, perhaps?" Said Kai trying to assure his friend it might be nothing to worry about. "But I'm sure you'll see her tonight, you can ask her what's wrong."

At that moment, everyone's attention turned towards the main person, the guest of honor.

The Mayor.

Rick walked over the corner and uncovered a small podium with a built in speaker, obviously another invention by him. He grabbed a handle and began pulling it towards the mayor effortlessly since it had wheels.

Meanwhile, the mayor kept to himself. He didn't greet the townspeople like he usually did on festivals and events. Tonight, he was a strange, saddened, and nervous man.

Rick placed the podium in front of the water fountain and locked the wheels.

"It's all set, mayor." He murmured to the man with the famous red suit.

"Thank you, Rick. Well, here goes nothing…or everything"

"My friends, family, common people of Flower Bud Village. Tonight is a time to lament. I will reveal to you a very important secret that I've been carrying over the years. One that has haunted me and that now will come afloat."

The mayor pulled on his collar nervously. He opened his mouth to continue when a sharp pain filled his heart. He clenched his fists and his face expressed pain. In less than ten seconds he was on the floor while a woman screamed and men ran to his side.

He was dead.


End file.
